NRC will connect all dryports to rail when completed - MD

Engineer Fidet Okhiria is a qualified electrical engineer with significant records of achievement in the field of electrical/mechanical, signalling, telecommunication, ICT, installation, maintenance and repair of electrical equipment and rail transport. He joined Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) in March 1987 as pupil Engineer and rose to the position of Director, Mechanical/Electrical/Signal and Telecommunications before he was appointed Managing Director of NRC in October 2016.

In this interview with nigeriamaritme360.com Abiola Seun, the MD gave graphic details of how the corporation intends to connect all dryports in the country to rail among other issues. Excerpt.

Q: Sir, is it possible we get railway inter-connectivity across the nation before year 2020?

A: Railway inter-connectivity all around Nigeria before 2020 is very possible. Railway inter-connectivity is to link the one mode of transportation with another and the rail network is so much important and since we cannot move the sea to the rail lines, we will move the rail line to the sea. Every new development in the rail will get to the port. That is certain.

Q: What are you doing to connect other dry ports to rail?

A: We encourage them (developers of Dry ports) because it is the responsibility of the owners of the dry port to link it to the rail that is why they are allocated a place where it won’t be too expensive to link the dryport location to the rail. Also, because we are part of the process of locating the dryport we will do everything possible to make it a success.

Q: The Wagons expected by the NRC will be dedicated to Kaduna ICD? Kindly explain.

A: We will be discussing with the Kaduna ICD management and if the goods going to the dry ports are readily available then we are ready to move the cargoes. Rail doesn’t carry goods in pieces rather, we carry in bulk. We have the wagons and when they are ready they are loaded and not that they will be waiting for Mr A to bring one cargo or Mr B to bring in another cargo rather, it is direct from the shippers to the dryport. We believe the containers will be readily available and not one person taking container to Benin another to Warri but everyone having containers destined for Kaduna dryport being taken on the rail and have it loaded on the wagon and taken to the ICD.

Q: How soon should we expect the wagons?

A: Hopefully by June or July because we are in the process.

Q: The minister of Transportation said the nation will take delivery of 100 wagons. Have they been procured?

A: The wagons were not supposed to be procured because we have concessioning plans that have not reached financial closure. So, we are still discussing but we thought by last year we would have been through. You know there was a consortium led by General Electric. We are discussing concession of the narrow gauge, Lagos – Kano to Port Harcourt but we are still discussing.

Q: Some ports such as Tin-Can port are not connected to rail, how soon should we get them connected?
A: They will soon be connected because the Calabar – Lagos standard gauge is to terminate at Tin-Can port.

Q: How soon?

A: Rail cannot be done by blinking one eye but have to look for funding and the beauty of it is that the counterpart funding of the Federal Government has been available since 2016 but the funding from Chinese Exim bank is still being discussed but if we start today, it will take about three years to get to the Tin-Can port and to get to meaningful financial closure.

Q: Railway around the world is known for profit making but in Nigeria it’s known for service. How do you intend to change this notion?

A: The beauty of government is to serve the people and in the process you have to understand that in the process of servicing the people we have to earn the money to fuel and carry the people but if we want to service only people maybe after sometimes we go down because the fund will not be there again. So, we have to combine both service and profit because there is nowhere in the world they don’t combine it.
It is among whatever we are discussing with the concessionaire that won the bidding because as government, we cannot leave our people stranded by operating a frustrated passenger service. The passenger is part of the concessioning and if it will include the government making some contribution for the concessionaires we will do that.

Q: Any update on the Lagos- Ibadan rail project?

A: I will say the process is on and I can say 95 percent of those things stalling the track have been settled and that place we went to in Abeokuta is the last spot.
On that, we have appointed estate valuers to value the properties and don’t forget that we require large expanse of land because it’s going to be the station; so the process is on and before we go for the next inspection, the process would have been settled.

Q: What is the state of work on Port Harcourt- Maiduguri rail line?

A: We run train from Port Harcourt to Kano but for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, the contractor is out of site for now because we have not been able to meet up with the financial obligations.

Q: What about financial obligations of Lagos to Kano?
A: We have the same problem.

Q: But why more emphasis on Lagos – Kaduna to Kano and not Port Harcourt – Maiduguri?

A: The emphasis is the same because contract was given on Lagos- Maiduguri and at the same time was given for Lagos – Kano but it depends on how fast the contractors deliver the project because they are paid. We run right now Port Harcourt, Kafanchan and Kano and the major problem is the insurgency in Maiduguri and this was because the contractors lost about three of their workers so they slowed down and we can’t run train service to Maiduguri but we can run to Gombe.

Q: Are their chances of upgrading to standard gauge?

A: There are contract for Port Harcourt -Lagos and the President has approved Calabar-Lagos, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and we are sourcing for funds and no one will be left out.
Calabar – Lagos rail line is passing through the East from Aba to Umuahia to Abakaliki and it has to start from a place because it can’t start at once. Before it got to this stage, we were at one foot to get to five feet to what we have today.

Q: Does this administration have the whole time?

A: Rail is developed gradually and that is like you build your house gradually.